Kukla's Korner Hockey

Yesterday, Sports Illustrated’s Stu Hackel offered a comprehensive preview of today’s “Colin Campbell summit” (if you will), which is designed to bring general managers, coaches and officials together to review the standards of enforcement of the obstruction crackdown, which may or may not have slipped this past season (see: the sky also appears to be blue on sunny days). Campbell, who’s now the NHL’s Director of Hockey Operations, told Sportsnet’s Mark Spector that the review thereof will be succinct:

“This won’t be as difficult,” said Campbell, who is simply trying to address the many complaints he hears about slippage in the standard of officiating. “We said, have your video guys send in the clips. Are we talking interference, and what part of interference are we talking about? We have to be really specific about this, and we’re not going to make any changes in last two weeks of the season or in the playoffs. We’ll do it in the summertime. Interference, hooking, holding… What needs to be adjusted, if anything?”

Predators head coach Barry Trotz, Phoenix’s Dave Tippett, Boston’s Claude Julien, Chicago’s Joel Quenneville and new Washington head coach Adam Oates will be in attendance, as well as several NHL players Campbell chose not to name.

Referees Steve Walkom, Brad Watson and Wes McCauley will be there to lend an official’s perspective during the meetings, which will run from noon-5 pm on Tuesday and breakfast until around lunchtime Wednesday.

“I wanted the coaches here, because they talk in terms of milliseconds, what you can and can’t do on the ice,” Campbell said. “And I wanted some referees there, because they’ve got to call it.”

Campbell sounds a familiar tone when talking about officials who tend to bend away from abuse. It’s no different on the NHL front than with minor hockey officials trying to avoid the wrath of the loud-mouthed hockey parent.

“This isn’t a witch hunt for officials,” Campbell confirmed. “The reason (penalties) don’t get called is because referees get screamed at by everyone. Players, coaches, managers in the hallway…”

Campbell’s message? “Don’t complain. You guys wanted it called? Then shut up. If this is what you want, let ‘em call it.”

Comments

Honestly, how hard is it to call the rules the way they’re written out? And do it from September till June.

Oh that’s right, because ‘we want the players to decide the games’.
That way, all cement-handed jackasses, who cant thread a puck through a barn door, can still have value in a hockey game by tackling, hooking and bear-hugging anyone who actually has talent comes near them.